The Playlist: Standing on Shaky Ground

A road in the Eagle Ford Shale area in South Texas. The natural gas drilling boom is straining the region's rural roads. More than 1,000 loaded trucks are needed to bring a single well into production.

After a spate of North Texas earthquakes and growing frustration among locals with the state's regulators, we start this week's news-inspired playlist with "Standing on Shaky Ground" by Delbert McClinton.

The easiest way to enjoy the playlist is to download Spotify, which is a free program. But even without it, you can still follow along. Here are this week's other selections:

The Federal Aviation Administration selected Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi as a test site to further study the use of unmanned aircraft systems, so we have Cage The Elephant's "Drones in the Valley." U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, inspired the addition of "Easy Money" by Electric Light Orchestra when he announced that his campaign will accept donations in Bitcoin, a private virtual currency.

With many candidates running for an unusually large number of open seats, campaigns are struggling to find quality staffers, which is why we added "Where Have All the Good People Gone?" by Sam Roberts. Next up is "Taking the Farm" by The War on Drugs, which follows a report on how Texans are leaving farming and ranching because of opportunities in urban areas, increased land prices and other concerns.

Both Democratic and Republican candidates for statewide office in 2014 are pledging to increase resources for transportation, so we included Terry Allen's "Amarillo Highway." Because the new year brings mixed news for the state's wind power industry, we also included "The Wind" by Cat Stevens.

With Republican land commissioner candidate and political scion George P. Bush adding to the dialogue about the GOP's relationship with Hispanics, we added "What's In a Name?" by The Airborne Toxic Event to the playlist. Because a change in beverage taxes could lead to more expensive mixed drinks in Texas bars and restaurants, we also included The Gourds' version of "Gin and Juice."

And in light of the recent deaths of Republican mega-donor Harold Simmons and philanthropist Jack Blanton, we close with Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You."

Enjoy!

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